I can’t believe this. My favorite author and poet is gone. All these years, I have admired her thoughts and her words.

I’ve been blogging about her since I can remember. I am so lucky to have four of her books, A Thousand Mornings, New And Selected Poems Vol. 1, Upstream and one of her latest books, Devotions.

When I feel so alone, I peruse her poems and I am uplifted. She could write about anything under the sun and when she writes about nature, you feel like you are there communing with her. When she writes about feelings, you feel like crying.

Thanks to Getty Images for this lovely photo which I culled from the net.

One of my favorite quotes from her which I have memorized over the years are these words:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Woke up a little late because I went back to bed after Josef left for work at 5 am. What a cold morning, perfect time to have that green tea while watering and inspecting the plants in the garden.

I harvested dried pods of blue ternatea to give to friends when they come over. The two vines I planted have so many green pods and flowers and they are nice covers from outside. They are happily climbing my steel matting. I have two dried red okra ready for planting. A cousin wants to try planting too. When I posted those pictures of my red okra, a lot of people reacted asking, “is it edible”? Of course, it is. It is just like the green one only in a different color.

Some months ago, I got some dried Zinnia flowers at the park near the house. Just planted them this morning. I do hope, they will thrive. Jom, our good neighbor gave me three cuttings of African tea and I put them in two empty bottles with water. They are now sprouting leaves. I’ve tasted a freshly brewed cup before. It tasted great.

I wonder where I’m going to plant these once they grow a little sturdy. Lack of space is the problem although these are not bushy plants. They are medicinal too.

And here’s something I love about gardening.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul. – Alfred Austin

Yesterday, I saw several pictures on Facebook posted by my youngest brother. He was looking for photos that he could make into a video as a tribute to Dad’s 97th birthday on January 16. Yes, if he were alive today, he will be turning 97.

He saw some photos of us and his godfather, our family friend Mama Julian and he posted them. That began our long conversation and exchange of comments, reminiscing about the past and those days we were growing up. Mama Julian was our neighbor and dad’s best friend. His children who are now living abroad noticed his post and they also joined in our chats.

Dad is the one in white shirt. This was taken almost fifteen years ago, April 2004 if I am not mistaken.

We reminisced on how they spent their days when we were in high school. Dad played the guitar and Mama Julian with his ukulele. They would compose music together and play to us kids. We talked about those days when they would play cards together with mom and Nana Mina (his wife) called Entre 7. We remember those days when in every fiesta in our place in the province, both of them would always act as emcees of the night’s programs. There was really no dull moment when they were around together.

One of Mama Julian’s daughters said that she would copy all those photos and would show them to him being sure that he would be glad to see them. He is also in his nineties now and living in Brisbane with some members of the family. Dad and Nana Mina are now with the Lord.

It is nice to get in touch with friends and neighbors again after so many years. Back then, when we were growing up, they were like our extended family. Most of them including my brother are now living abroad and have their own families. One daughter is married to my first cousin.

One of our friendly neighbors gave me a jar of dried green tea leaves. Her daughter sent two barrels for her and her husband last year.

Just perfect in the cold afternoon. I put two sachets of coco sugar in this tea holder and it tasted so good.

Did you know that after blogging for nine years now, I’ve finally reached my 2,500th post in this site? I could no longer remember the earlier posts I wrote unless I visit them again just to know how it was more than nine years ago. Maybe they are more emotional and a little more poignant and dramatic. I used to blog about my journey as a cancer patient and survivor. Back then, I had lots to share. It was how this blog started.

Six years ago, I became a proud grandma to Nate, our bundle of joy. I started a separateblogon him and update it from time to time. At least in that site, I am able to post those high-resolution shots that Nissa usually takes on her camera. For a long time now, I wasn’t able to update my Colors blog because almost three years ago, my Canon camera broke. Occasionally though, I find time to write about my garden and the photos I used to take of those lovely flowers and blooms. I have used the “press this” feature in some of my garden entries, some of which were published here at Dreams and Escapes. Fearing that my free space would be utilized soon, I avoided posting so many hi-res photos to save on space which has about 26% more of my allowed limit. I made a new blog DreamsNever End last March 2015 in readiness for a new blogging experience. My posts there have photos in every entry. I hope you’ll find time to visit it too. The links to this blog are on this site. To think I have five blogs in all, hooray!

Maintaining a blog is sometimes hard but when one is inspired to write, your thoughts flow freely. Sharing has become such a joy and meeting other bloggers from all walks of life is such a big, big bonus.

A friend and a former office mate at Bank of the Philippine Islands posted some wonderful photos of Etna. The family travels every year to far off places in Europe.

And it’s Etna this time. I felt quite embarrassed to ask where Etna is so I just googled the place. It is where one of the most active volcanoes Vulcano Etna is located. My gosh, the picturesque views are just so awesome. When you are lucky enough to travel the world, you’ll find wonderful places on the map. Some places you could only dream of visiting.

Italy is lovely. I’ve been reading memoirs and some fiction books about it. I love how the authors described the place – the vineyards, the rustic chalets, the food, those endless mountains and valleys that arrest the senses. One good thing about books is that you can imagine the place. You can feel like you were there with the characters.

Friday.

Finally it’s Friday and this early I am thinking of what to cook for Media Noche. Nothing fancy though, just maybe something hot to greet midnight and 2019. This time of the year, some people are too busy buying fruits even if some are not in season just to complete the tradition of having 12 or 13 kinds of fruits on your dining table. I don’t plan to buy that much though. We still have some left over ones that we haven’t touched last Christmas. Last year, I went on a frenzy and bought so many round fruits and we ended up eating fruits every day for almost a week. Anyway, it is part of our traditions to serve something sweet and sticky come New Year.

2019.

Are you looking forward to it too? I don’t want to touch on politics this side of town but we’ll have another mid year election next year. Twelve candidates for senators down to the lowest barangay captains and councilors. I just wish people would stop electing those who are just too easy with words but not in deeds. Experience did not teach us anything, people continue to choose corrupt candidates who empty the country’s coffers for their own ambition.

Wish you well. Today is the fifth day of Christmas. In the Christian concept, the twelve days of Christmas have their meanings.

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.

Just done cooking something for dinner. It’s Pasta Bake with broccoli, cauliflower and diced ham cooked with a little cream then baked with quickmelt cheese on top. It would be a good partner for our steamed chicken siomai and fresh fruits.

Funny how we don’t even taste wine or any type of liquor here. Just fruit juice or hot coffee will do.

It’s been a quiet day compared to yesterday’s celebration. We heard mass this morning at the Church then reheated some left over food last night for lunch. It is a quiet day to contemplate and think of the next year to come. It’s 2019 folks in a week’s time.

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It's been some years since I started this blog. Supposedly, it was only to share my plight as a cancer patient and survivor but over the years it has somehow evolved into something personal about my life and my family.
So really glad to have met you all wonderful people out there. Someone commented once that he liked the title of this blog, Dreams and Escapes. Dream on, there are more things in life than we really think. Be happy, you only live once. Sometimes you also need an escape from the vicissitudes of life and this blog helps me cope. Welcome. Feel free to leave your comments, I do welcome them.

This is just my 89th post after three years of blogging. But I have always been updated with my main blog. You can find the link here on the right corner of the blog. I’ve recently took shots of our garden blooms. Summer is here and more blooms could be seen. […]

I have a whole album of quotes that I made into memes. Some are passages from the Bible, some are words from famous people. This is one of them. Gosh, it took me so long to update this blog but I regularly post in my main blog, Dreams and Escapes. Good morning everyone 🙂

I want first of all, to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out….obligations and activities as well as I can. I want in fact – to borrow from the language of the Saints – […]

I love mums in all its different colors. It’s one thing that I once attempted to grow in my garden but it didn’t survive. It is a hardy flower though and need full sun and well-draining soil. I actually bought this cluster in a pot and it was expensive but it didn’t last long. My […]

Oh my goodness, I was busy keeping my main site updated that I clearly forgot to visit this blog for quite a while. Shame on me. I miss those times we used to go on road trips and discover places. I miss those days just driving around and seeing those beautiful and lovely views of […]

These flowers used to be permanent fixtures in my small garden. I had the lone shrub for years and it produces such lovely white flowers every year. Some months ago, the leaves slowly turned yellow then they dried up to brittle brown ones. This afternoon, my son and I decided to finally put it […]